1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to carts for transportation of outdoor recreation equipment for use in outdoor recreation such as on the beach, camping or snow sports or other outdoor and cold weather sports such as skating and or ice fishing, and more particularly, to a motorized cart for such uses.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many beach-goers or other engaging in outdoor recreation such as skiing or waterspouts have homes or stay in hotels or beach houses near the beach or their chosen recreation venue or alternately drive to parking lots relatively near the beach, and then may have to make many trips to hand carry all of their beach supplies to the beach from their home or car. These supplies can include for example, chairs, umbrellas, and coolers. Thus, a beach cart for carrying such items is desirable to reduce the number of trips and to make it easier to transport heavy items. Such a cart, however, is typically transported in the car to and from the parking lot and thus must be of compact size so it can be easily packed in the car along with all the other items that are being transported for the day. In addition, pushing and/or pulling such a cart, particularly if heavily laden, can be inconvenient or impossible for some people who lack sufficient physical strength especially across the beach sand, snow and other surfaces. To ease the physical burden on the beach goers, a motorized cart is desirable, for example especially when a family is engaged in snow sports such as skiing and snow-boarding, many times the younger family members can not carry all of their equipment such as skis, snowboards, helmets, boots and extra clothing from the car parking area or ski lodge to the base of the mountain. Therefore, many trips to transport all the equipment will be required or some members of the group may be overburdened carrying equipment for themselves, plus other members of the group. Many examples of motorized carts are known, particularly with respect to motorized golf carts for carrying golf bags and clubs. But these carts lack features that are focused on the needs of beach cart users, are not always sufficiently compact for transportation to the beach and may be difficult to load with all of the beach provisions.
What is needed is a battery powered motorized beach cart that may be folded into a compact configuration for storage and transportation and provides a plurality of storage compartments, which may include lockable compartments, and insulated compartments, adapted to carry different items, and provides auxiliary features such as a solar panel for charging the drive motor batteries as well as powering personal devices such as personal portable electronic devices and provides a motorized drive system that is low weight, sturdy, efficient and adaptable for traversing sand, asphalt, snow, grass and boardwalk surfaces including ramps and stairs and has a collapsible storage container and a collapsible frame for easy storage and transportation of the cart. Additionally, the cart should be stable, rugged, and adaptable to multiple transportation situations, including traversing sand, snow and stairs.